NHL Daily Fantasy Gems for February 26th

If you’re on FanDuel, each day we help uncover the gems in daily fantasy hockey when there is a full slate of games. I started on February 17th with a Fanduel bankroll of $2,500, with a goal to hit $10,000 by the end of the regular season.

I had to take this past weekend off the DFS as we moved Sporting Charts to a new office on Edmonton's south side. Last Thursday was mixed, I won most of the 50/50 lineups, but lost on my $200 NHL Monster entry and a couple other GPPs.

Current balance - $2,390.17

Thursday has a great slate with 18 teams in action and a lot of blowout potential in several of the matchups. I'm looking at a ~$500 investment split evenly into GPPs and 50/50s. Without further ado, here are a couple line stacks and hidden gems that I'm considering for the nine games on the February 26th.

Line stacksI'm a big fan of stacking lines in NHL daily fantasy, not necessarily for all 6 forward spots, but I definitely try to be strategic in pairing at least two forwards on the same line, and same power play unit. The two line stacks that I'm looking at for tonight:

Vancouver Canucks (Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Zack Kassian) - $15,200 combined) - the Canucks are suddenly looking like a playoff bound team, and they can't afford to let this game against the lowly Sabres slip away. The Sabres have the worst goals against in the league. Daniel Sedin hasn't scored in 8 games, but he has 7 assists in his last 5 and averaging 4.7 fanduel points per game. His brother Henrik has faired even better at 6.3 FD PPG. Kassian rounds out the top line and power play and he's a punt at $3,500...unfortunately he's listed as a LW (as is Daniel), tough call.

Chicago Blackhawks (Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Kris Versteeg - $18,800 combined) - This might not be a super high scoring game, but with Patrick Kane out for the rest of the season it opens up some increased minutes for guys like Kris Versteeg who has 4 goals in his last six games. The risk with this line stack is seeing where the line shuffle ends up with Kane out. It's projected that Toews, Hossa, and Saad will form the top line, but Versteeg replaces Saad on the first power play unit. I'm leaning towards just taking Toews and Hossa, but Versteeg at $5,300 for 2nd line exposure and first PP time - you could do worse.

(update 12:15pm ET - Rick Nash is confirmed playing, a Rangers line stack is a good option too, but be prepared to pay up)

Hidden and not-so Hidden GemsSometimes stacking two sets of lines isn't possible because of salary ramifications, and you're forced to just take a partial line stack. Looking for a value to fill out your lineup, here are a couple that might be good plug-ins for tonight:

Eddie Lack - G ($7,500) - Eddie has been brilliant in his last two games taking over from the injured Ryan Miller. Make sure you confirm that he's starting, if he does he's a lock for most of my lineups. His salary is low, but also keep in mind Buffalo averages the least shots per game in the league, so his upside is limited.

Cam Talbot - G ($8,400) - Cam Talbot is the next shoe in if Lack doesn't start, or even if Lack does start he's worth consideration. He hit 8.8 fanduel points in his last start against Arizona, and the Rangers are 5-0 in their last five meetings at home against the Coyotes.

Derick Brassard - C ($5,200) - with or without Rick Nash in the lineup (he's probable) the Rangers should have no problem scoring against the Coyotes who are tied with Buffalo for worst GAA in the league. If you want exposure to this game, he's probably your best 'value' play.

Drew Doughty - D ($5,000) - he plays the most minutes of any player in the NHL at 29:46 per game, top power play, and with Alex Martinez still out he's their primary source of offense on the blue line. He is almost a lock for 3+ FD points with just +/- and shots on goal...an assist or goal would be a bonus.

Mathew Dumba D ($3,700) - he's a punt at this price, but this rookie defenseman has seen an uptick in minutes the past two weeks. He also has 2 goals in 4 games and has cemented himself on the 2nd power play unit. He isn't a prime choice, but if you're left having to plug in a low cost defenseman...he has averaged 3.4 FD points per game in his last 4.

There you have it folks, hopefully these hidden gems help fill out your daily fantasy hockey lineup for February 26th. If you need more help, check out our fantasy PPG grid page. Good luck tonight!

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